Writing

Un atelier d'écriture créative pas tout à fait comme les autres ! Ici, on accorde une place d'honneur à la magie, à l''intuition, à l'inconscient, aux émotions et surtout, au pouvoir du symbole de nous mouvoir... en gros, à l'invisible et à tout ce qui dépasse le simple raisonnement afin de toucher à une écriture plus vraie, plus ancrée, plus alignée. Le Arcanes du Tarot, dans le cadre de cet atelier, servent d'outils d'inspiration poétique, narrative et/ou introspective. Tu aimes écrire ? Tu as des projets d'écriture en développement ou en suspension ? Tu as des blocages lors de l'écriture ? Tu te sens seule lorsque tu écris ? Tu écris de la poésie, de la fiction, de l'auto-fiction, ou tu tiens un journal intime ? Si l'une de ces questions te parle, alors ça tombe bien : tu es au bon endroit ! Au programme : ❓ Le thème et la question du jour 🃏 Tirages ✍🏻 Écriture guidée Viens t'inspirer et peut-être même trouver ta voix ou... ta voie. Ou les deux ! ;) À apporter : 📒🖋️ : carnet et stylo. Et c'est tout ! Je recommande vivement à 🚫NE PAS apporter son ordi - l'écriture manuscrite ✍🏻 est la meilleure façon de se connecter à soi-même. D'ailleurs, un des buts de cet atelier est d'offrir une pause des écrans ! À très vite ! Natalia ☺️

Atelier d'écriture pour adultes. Thème : ma madeleine de Proust. Animé par une professionnelle. Sur inscription, 15€, matériel inclus

## Details Hello writers, we are happy to meet you in our new permanent home: Bohème Coworking, located at 21 rue Sedaine in the 11th arrondissement. When you arrive, just tell the friendly folks at La Boheme reception that you are with the writing group. They will give you a little wooden knick-knack with the wifi codes and a number that they use to determine the cost based on time spent (it's 3,80 € per hour, paid at the end). ***Now, about Ready-Set-Write! ..*.** Ready Set Write! is a regular meeting of motivated writers who grab a beverage, then shut up and write. ***What it is:*** An opportunity for writers to get together and do short, intense bursts of writing. We write for 45-ish minutes, take a 15 minute break, rinse & repeat. ***What it is NOT:*** neither a forum for critiquing each other's work, nor shameless self-promoting your projects or groups. You pay for the time you spend, and have access to coffee, tea, and wifi. **AND FINALLY ...** * Register in advance, and only if you will join us in-person. * Update your RSVP if you cannot make it. * Please be respectful and considerate with our writing colleagues. ***Stay tuned for location updates!***

« Vous connaissez certainement le braille, mais savez-vous qu'il existe un braille mathématique, un braille informatique, un braille musical, et un braille abrégé ? Et que depuis son invention en 1825, le braille s'est développé à travers le monde et permet désormais de transcrire 137 langues ? » Chèr.e.s tou.te.s, Retrouvons-nous pour une visite commentée de l’expo « L’aventure du braille, deux siècles d’innovation » à la médiathèque Marguerite Duras, Paris 20e. Cette exposition retrace l’histoire du braille, depuis son invention par Louis Braille au XIXe siècle jusqu’aux développements contemporains du braille informatique, musical ou électronique. À travers objets, dispositifs et récits, elle explore la manière dont cette invention a transformé l’accès à la lecture, à l’apprentissage et à la culture pour les personnes aveugles et malvoyantes. La visite sera aussi l’occasion de découvrir différentes formes d’écriture et de transmission du savoir, ainsi que les enjeux d’accessibilité et d’inclusion liés à la lecture et à la culture. Après la visite, pour celles et ceux qui le souhaitent, nous pourrons prolonger le moment autour d’un café ou d’un verre à proximité. [Entrée libre sans réservation.](https://www.paris.fr/evenements/exposition-l-aventure-du-braille-deux-siecles-d-innovations-107573) [La Système de Braille \[Wikipedia\]](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille) [Louis Braille \[Wikipedia\]](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Braille) À très vite ! 🌌🌼 **P.S. :** Nous publions également ici des événements à la croisée des sciences et des lettres : [Paris Cultural Outings Circle](https://www.meetup.com/paris-cultural-outings-circle/)

Adresse : [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GzV0ojptK5Z7EvPYI1Zhc8](https://chat.whatsapp.com/GzV0ojptK5Z7EvPYI1Zhc8) Groupe Whatsapp pour filtrer les spams et les fantômes avant de vous ajouter au vrai groupe. English text at the end of this message Bienvenue dans notre maison de ville du 14e arrondissement. Un lieu, des rencontres, et la créativité comme langage commun. Speed Friending Factory France est une association qui fait naître des rencontres et du lien humain à travers l’art, la créativité et des moments partagés. Dans notre Atelier-Village Alésia, notre ambition est simple et précieuse : rassembler des personnes d’horizons variés, encourager les échanges et créer des expériences conviviales qui rapprochent. Bienvenue dans notre maison de ville sur 2 niveaux où vous pourrez participer à nos activités et événements, faire les votres, rencontrer autrement avec animateurs et jeux brise glace. Chaque jour des activités et événements à toutes heures. Chaque soir à partir de 19h, un apéro créatif convivial... Soirée comme à la maison. Pour les activités et événements d'ambiance quotidiens, voir la programmation sur place. Ici, c’est un véritable QG où l’on fait des soirées comme à la maison. Bien calés dans les canapés, on se retrouve jour après jour pour créer du lien, rencontrer des artistes et artisans passionnés, et partager des moments authentiques. Chaque soirée mêle atelier d'initiation artistique et apéro papotage convivial, avec des animations brise-glace pour que chacun se sente à l’aise et que tout le monde s’amuse, même en venant seul·e. Activités d'ambiance : Jeux de société, karaoké, soirée dansante, projection vidéo, cuisine.. Activités artistiques : Peinture, dessin, personnalisation d’objets, broderie artisanale, body painting, art numérique, musique, écriture créative, pyrogravure… explorez, échangez, expérimentez librement. ⚠️ Venir avec à grignoter et à boire pour prolonger le moment ensemble.⚠️ ⚠️⚠️ Prix : 10€ ⚠️⚠️ Débutant·es bienvenu·es Aucune expérience requise, juste l’envie de vivre un moment différent 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 Creative & Social Evenings A place, encounters, and creativity as a shared language. Speed Friending Factory France is an association that fosters encounters and human connection through art, creativity and shared moments. In our Alésia Atelier-Village, our ambition is simple and precious: to bring together people from diverse backgrounds, encourage exchanges and create convivial experiences that bring people closer together. Welcome to our two-story townhouse where you can participate in our activities and events, organize your own, and meet people in a new way with our facilitators and icebreaker games. Activities and events every day at all hours. Every evening from 7 pm, a friendly, creative aperitif... An evening just like home. For daily activities and events, See the schedule on site. Here, it’s a true home base where evenings feel like hanging out in a cozy house. Comfortably settled on sofas, we gather day after day to connect, meet passionate artists and artisans, and share authentic moments. Each evening combines an introductory creative workshop and a relaxed social apéro, with icebreaker activities to make everyone feel at ease and ensure a fun time, even if you come alone. Social activities: Board games, karaoke, dance parties, video screenings, cooking... Artistic activities: Painting, drawing, object customization, embroidery, body painting, digital art, music, creative writing, wood burning … explore, connect, and express yourself freely. ⚠️ Bring something to snack on and drink to enjoy together.⚠️ ⚠️⚠️ Price : 10€ ⚠️⚠️ Beginners welcome No experience needed, just the desire to enjoy something different

Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. A young man, Candide, lives a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise, being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism by his mentor, Professor Pangloss. This lifestyle is abruptly ended, followed by Candide's slow and painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Candide is characterized by its tone as well as its erratic, fantastical, and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel with a story akin to a serious bildungsroman, it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, in a tone that is bitter and matter-of-fact. The events discussed are often based on historical happenings. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so does Candide, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers. Through Candide, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism. Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal. Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned on the grounds of blasphemy and sedition. However, the novel has inspired many later authors and artists; today, Candide is considered Voltaire's magnum opus and is often listed as part of the Western canon. It is among the most frequently taught works of French literature.

¡Hola! Si buscas un lugar agradable para conocer gente, hemos encontrado el bar mítico que necesitas y tratamos de cambiar el punto de encuentro con bastante regularidad para tener un ambiente diferente cada semana. ¡Únete a nuestro aperitivo con franceses e internacionales! ¡Es una prefiesta seguida de una gran velada! Concepto Ven a compartir buenos momentos en un bar, descubre la decoración, los precios míticos o los cócteles legendarios de nuestro famoso bar, habla con todo el mundo y en todos los idiomas. Tanto si vienes solo como con amigos, es la ocasión ideal para socializar, descubrir nuevas culturas y hacer amigos. ¡Al llegar, recoge una pegatina numerada en la organización o en el bar! ➡️ ¡Este número es tu entrada para conectar! Encuentra a alguien con el mismo número, inicia una conversación y... ¡ganaréis un chupito o una pequeña degustación gratis para celebrar este nuevo encuentro! Información práctica: Horario: a partir de las 18:30 h. Gratis con el Pass Socializus. WhatsApp (información y recordatorios el día del evento): https://chat.whatsapp.com/IVuEzaPwe0h4iRHglUZWoa Cómo participar: Comprueba la dirección con la aplicación gratuita y el pase gratuito: www.socializus.org o en la taquilla para apoyar a la asociación con una tarjeta de socio anual: https://www.placeminute.com/event/afterwork/apero-linguistique-dans-un-bar-secret,36046.html Mantente conectado: Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/afterwork-paris/ WhatsApp (información y recordatorios el día D): https://chat.whatsapp.com/IVuEzaPwe0h4iRHglUZWoa (¡Activa «Recibir todo» para no perderte nada!) Grupo de Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/afterwork.paris Página de Facebook: Fotos, recuerdos y noticias: https://www.facebook.com/groups/afterwork.paris Socializus: www.socializus.org Hazte organizador: ponte en contacto con nosotros a través de https://chat.whatsapp.com/KtR79S8Obfs3WTPTIBsoCm y consigue una bebida gratis. Es 100 % gratuito, ya que somos una asociación sin ánimo de lucro. ✦✦ Pueden producirse cambios de última hora, pero todo se actualiza a través de la aplicación Socializus. Contamos con las inscripciones a través del pase gratuito para gestionar el número de participantes. Inscríbete solo si estás seguro de que vas a venir, ¡contamos contigo! ¡Ven a compartir un aperitivo de nueva generación, conoce a gente de todo el mundo y pasa una velada inolvidable!

Hello writers, we are happy to meet you in our new permanent home: Bohème Coworking, located at 21 rue Sedaine in the 11th arrondissement. When you arrive, just tell the friendly folks at La Boheme reception that you are with the writing group. They will give you a little wooden knick-knack with the wifi codes and a number that they use to determine the cost based on time spent (it's 3,80 € per hour, paid at the end). ***Now, about Ready-Set-Write! ..*.** Ready Set Write! is a regular meeting of motivated writers who grab a beverage, then shut up and write. ***What it is:*** An opportunity for writers to get together and do short, intense bursts of writing. We write for 45-ish minutes, take a 15 minute break, rinse & repeat. ***What it is NOT:*** neither a forum for critiquing each other's work, nor shameless self-promoting your projects or groups. You pay for the time you spend, and have access to coffee, tea, and wifi. **AND FINALLY ...** * Register in advance, and only if you will join us in-person. * Update your RSVP if you cannot make it. * Please be respectful and considerate with our writing colleagues. ***Stay tuned for location updates!*** [Events in Paris, FR](https://www.meetup.com/find/fr--paris/)

Lyric writing weekly group practice. A few object writing rounds to start, get our reps in — a favorite from the canon, Write Better Lyrics by P. Pattinson.* Followed by other exercises. I adapt the program depending on who shows up. *Object writing : a noun picked through a random word generator, a 10 min timer to delve into our sensory imagination and free-flow with this prompt. We then take turn sharing.

Un événement pour se retrouver entre femmes parisiennes qui écrivent ✍️
Faisons connaissance autour d’un thé ou café et écrivons chacune de notre côté, toutes ensemble ! ☀️ Au programme : 💬 Un petit tour de table ✍️ Un atelier d’écriture guidée ☕️ Un temps d’échange et de partage (si tu en as envie) À prévoir : 🗒️ / 💻 : carnet et stylo ou ordi (chargé) selon tes préférences!

Chér.e.s Group Elements, (Oui, comme dans un groupe mathématique 🧮🙂) Retrouvons-nous pour la 6e Nuit de l’Astronomie à l’Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris ! Cette année, l'événement est **consacré aux galaxies**, à l'occasion du **centenaire de la découverte d'Edwin Hubble** montrant que la nébuleuse d'Andromède était en réalité une galaxie semblable à la nôtre. Cette découverte a profondément transformé notre vision de l'Univers et ouvert un siècle d'exploration cosmique. Au fil de la soirée, des chercheuses et chercheurs présenteront l'état actuel de nos connaissances sur les galaxies : de la Voie Lactée et du Groupe Local jusqu'aux premières galaxies apparues quelques centaines de millions d'années après le Big Bang. Les conférences aborderont également les grands instruments qui permettent aujourd'hui d'explorer ces questions, tels que le télescope spatial James Webb (JWST), la mission Euclid ou le futur Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). 🔭Au-delà des conférences, la Nuit de l'Astronomie est aussi l'occasion de rencontrer des scientifiques, de découvrir des expositions et posters de recherche, d'échanger avec de jeunes chercheuses et chercheurs, **et même d'explorer des simulations d'environnements de trous noirs en réalité virtuelle** **(inscription obligatoire à l'accueil en arrivant pour celle-ci)** 🌠 **Le programme est libre** : chacun·e peut assister aux conférences qui l'intéressent, prendre le temps de discuter avec les scientifiques présents ou simplement profiter de l'ambiance de cette grande soirée consacrée à l'exploration de l'Univers. 📜 **Programme complet et informations :** [https://www.iap.fr/actualites/laune/2026/NuitAstro/nuit-astro-fr.html](https://www.iap.fr/actualites/laune/2026/NuitAstro/nuit-astro-fr.html) **Résumés des conférences :** [https://www.iap.fr/actualites/laune/2026/NuitAstro/resumes2026.html](https://www.iap.fr/actualites/laune/2026/NuitAstro/resumes2026.html) Lien de diffusion : [https://www.youtube.com/live/tsxjSH6y4Dw?si=CGU9s7KPXinD3a2i](https://www.youtube.com/live/tsxjSH6y4Dw?si=CGU9s7KPXinD3a2i) Pour celles et ceux qui le souhaitent, nous pourrons échanger entre les conférences ou prolonger la discussion autour d'un verre ou d'un repas sur place. ☕🌌 À très bientot ! 🌌 **P. P.S.** : Nous publions également ici des événements à la croisée des sciences et des lettres : [Paris Cultural Outings Circle](https://www.meetup.com/paris-cultural-outings-circle/) 🌼🍀

Join us for a relaxed silent-reading session in a warm and welcoming café/bar. Bring your current read (or grab a new one!), settle in with a drink or snack, and enjoy an hour or two of calm, focused reading alongside fellow book lovers. 📖 No pressure, no agenda—just a peaceful moment to unwind, read, and maybe chat a little afterward. 😊 This group/event is an english-speaking one ( although the books don't have to be). We'll try to find a cozy and comfortable nook to settle into but we can't guarantee total silence. So if you are easily distracted by ambient noise, we recommend you bring a pair of noise canceling headphones 🎧😌 PS: The current café that hosts us every Saturday afternoon, requires a 5€ drink minimum

* Let's get together with a coffee or drink and discuss this book :) * Address to be announced. * **You will need to confirm your attendance. I will reach out to you personally by message a week before the event.** About the book: Near a village high in the Pyrenees, Domènec wanders across a ridge, fancying himself more a poet than a farmer, to “reel off his verses over on this side of the mountain.” He gathers black chanterelles, attends to a troubled cow. And then storm clouds swell, full of electrifying power. Reckless, gleeful, they release their bolts of lightning, one of which strikes Domènec. He dies. The ghosts of seventeenth-century witches gather around him, taking up the chanterelles he’d harvested before going on their merry ways. So begins this novel that is as much about the mountains and the mushrooms as it is about the human dramas that unfold in their midst. When I Sing, Mountains Dance, winner of the European Union Prize, is a giddy paean to the land in all its interconnectedness, and in it Sola finds a distinct voice for each extraordinary consciousness: the lightning bolts, roe deer, mountains, the ghosts of the civil war, the widow Sió and later her grown children, Hilari and Mia, as well as Mia’s lovers with their long-buried secrets and their hidden pain. Irene Solà animates the polyphonic world around us, the fierce music of the seasons, as well as the stories we tell to comprehend loss and love on a personal, historical, and even geological scale. Lyrical, elemental, and mythic, hers is a fearlessly imaginative new voice that brilliantly renders both our tragedies and our triumphs. [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693608-when-i-sing-mountains-dance?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yfOBAzMp5q&rank=2](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693608-when-i-sing-mountains-dance?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yfOBAzMp5q&rank=2)

Rencontre et signature d'Alexandre Decrauze pour sa BD Les milles verbes, aux éditions actuSF. Synopsis : Claude de Horville est un vaurien comme un autre. C'est dans le mensonge et le sang qu'il a construit sa noble fortune.Alors en visite chez son frère et complice de crime Jacques, le passé des deux hommes les rattrape... Une jeune bohémienne, orpheline suite aux meurtres de ses parents dix ans plus tôt par les deux malfrats. Cette dernière leur lance une malédiction: il ne leur reste plus que 1000 mots à prononcer avant de mourir...Doivent-ils y croire ? Artiste indépendant vivant en région parisienne, Alexandre Decrauze signe ici sa première bande dessinée.

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11 at Streetlight Guild. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 6:45ish - Quick introductions 7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 8:00 - The End **OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. **BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild! **WHAT SHOULD I BRING?** Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you! **OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:** * **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space! * **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels. * **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay! * **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.

**We are expanding our creative programming opportunities with Queer Quills, a quiet writing and sharing space. Queer Quills features some prompts, supplies and friendly faces to help get some inspiration or feedback for your writing. Hope to see you there!**

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

Greetings writers! Come down and join your fellow wordsmiths for one hour of uninterrupted writing time in the upper level of the Market District Supermarket in Upper Arlington. The main entrance of the shopping center opens onto stairs/elevator leading up to the 2nd floor cafe section where we will have a table displaying a sign with the Shut Up & Write logo. Writing is largely a solitary craft. Practicing with others in a community setting may be the thing you need to fire your own routine. We’ll meet on Wednesday evenings, starting the clock at 6:30, following a brief period of introductions. This is solid writing time and all inclusive. Any project is acceptable, be it fiction, non -fiction, work or homework assignment. All is welcome and will remain private to you. The market boasts a Starbucks, a full service bar and various affordable food options. Parking is plentiful, free Wifi is provided as well as outlets for charging your devices, though they are somewhat limited, so plan accordingly. Show up as early as you like, or stay late. This group tends to socialize some, both before and after the alloted time, but this is not mandatory to you. Feel free to come and go as you please and late arrivals are welcome. The cafe may be noisy on occasion so headphones/ earbuds are reccommended as you see fit. Please try to RSVP if possible so that we may grab enough seats for all—the venue can be busy at times. Feel free to message me privately wth any questions and/ or concerns you may have. Happy writing!

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. **Optional topic for this meetup: Where is everybody?** In 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi was talking about aliens over lunch and asked a question that still has not gone away: if the universe is so vast and so old, and even a fraction of those billions of stars have planets, where is everyone? By the numbers the galaxy should be crowded with civilizations. Instead we look up and hear silence. That gap between "they should be everywhere" and "we see no one" is the Fermi Paradox. One of the most unsettling answers is the idea of a **Great Filter**: somewhere on the road from dead chemistry to a galaxy-spanning civilization, there is at least one step that is almost impossible to get past. Maybe the filter is behind us. Maybe life starting at all, or simple cells becoming complex, or intelligence ever evolving, is the freak accident, and we already cleared the hard part. Or maybe the filter is ahead of us, and advanced civilizations reliably wipe themselves out before they spread. Here is the part that messes with people. If we ever found life somewhere else, even pond scum on Mars, most people would call it the greatest discovery in history. But it might be the worst possible news. It would mean life is common, the early steps are easy, and the hard step is still in front of us. So the eerie silence overhead might actually be the best sign we could ask for. **Questions to wrestle with:** * Is it better to be alone? Would you rather we find alien life and learn we are not special, or find nothing and quietly improve our odds of surviving? * Where do you bet the filter sits, behind us or ahead of us, and why? * If it is ahead of us, what is it? Nuclear war, climate collapse, AI, something we cannot even picture yet? And can we do anything about a filter we cannot see coming? * Two principles pull opposite ways here. The principle of mediocrity (the Copernican principle, Sagan's "no privileged place in the universe") says we are ordinary, so what happened on Earth probably happened everywhere, which makes the silence scream louder. The anthropic principle says of course we find ourselves somewhere life was possible, since we could not observe anything else, so our being here may say almost nothing about how common life is. Which lens do you trust, and does the silence still demand an answer once you account for observer selection? * And if we did confirm life out there and had to accept we are not special, what would that do to belief in a higher power, and would shedding (or keeping) that belief help or hurt our odds of pulling together as one species? * Does any of this change how you live, or how humanity should be spending its time and money right now? As always the prompt is optional. Come for the conversation, stay for the drinks, and bring your own questions.